Chiropractic and Asthma

Asthma is one of the leading causes of chronic and acute illnesses in children. It is triggered by chemical allergens such as, pollen, animals, dust and also exposure to cold and other stress factors and usually has its onset in the first five years of life.

Medical treatments usually include anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator drugs. These drugs tend to lose effectiveness over time and need to be increased. Children on these medications are often depressed or drowsy from the side effects and are not able to live normal, active lives. Parents do not like to see their children live like this and will often “resort” to chiropractic. The majority of children with asthma treated by chiropractors are found to have improper curvatures in the thoracic spine. When the misalignment is corrected and managed properly, these children have a chance to live normal lives without medication.

Asthma Study: Shots Alone Don’t Work

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boston – Allergy shots, a mainstay of asthma treatment since the turn of the century, appear to be worthless for many youngsters. A major new study found the shots do nothing for children with moderate to severe year-round asthma who are already taking standard medicines.Asthma is caused by allergic reactions to a variety of substances, such as grass pollen, dust mites and cockroaches. To fight it, doctors often give gradually increased injections of the allergy-causing substances. The goal is to prompt the body to make antibodies that will block future reactions. Researchers began rigorously testing this approach, known as immunothearapy, in the “This doesn’t mean the treatment is ineffective. But it means that in children who are getting adequate medical care, including avoidance of allergenic substances in the home, adding immunotherapy doesn’t do what we had hoped.”The study dealt only with the use of allergy shots for asthma, not for other allergy problems for which they are given. For instance, doctors often administer allergy shots to relieve the itchy eyes and runny nose of chronic hay fever as well as to prevent life- threatening reactions to bee stings.The results were published in today’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The study was conducted on 121 youngsters with year-round moderate to severe asthma who required daily medication. They were randomly assigned to receive 2 1/2 years of allergy shots or placebos. One-third of the youngsters receiving the shots got better, but so did one-third of those in the comparison group.

ASTHMA DRUGS AND SIDE EFFECT

The traditional medical treatment for asthma is anti- inflammatory and bronchodilator drugs. In some cases, treatment included syrups such as Preventils, which is usually prescribed on a “taken as needed” basis. The combination of the drugs above promotes drowsiness and may be habit forming. A patient denied of medication feels they can not breathe properly without it, thus becoming irritable. In some cases they become so irritable that they bring on an asthma attack.

ASTHMA SHOTS INEFFECTIVE

Allergy shots used as treatment of asthma in children appears to be ineffective. Studies have proven there were no significant benefits with the shots given to children with moderate to severe asthma.

Dr. N. Franklin Adkinson Jr., John Hopkins University

IF DRUGS ARE THE ANSWER, WHY ARE OUR NATION’S CHILDREN GETTING SICKER AND SICKER?

“Intelligence is present everywhere in our bodies … our own inner intelligence is far superior to any we can try to substitute from the outside.”